On the Trail . . .in Western Missouri

assuage your need for throwing down on good dirt.

I'm from Missouri. Now I live in Boulder, but when I return home I know what trails to run, thanks to a group of the most down-to-earth, passionate runners I’ve ever known: the Blue Springs Runners of Blue Springs, MO.

Be careful, however, if you decide to hook up with them. When I last returned to Independence, just east of Kansas City and west of Blue Springs, a message waited for me from some old running friends to meet them at Little Blue Trace the next morning for a long run. Little did I know. . . .

The Little Blue River runs from Longview Lake north to Blue Mills Road in Blue Springs. Called the "trace," the trail follows the meandering river for 11-plus miles, providing the perfect course for long-distance training with its flat dirt-and-gravel trail.

At the Little Blue Trace entrance, I was reminded just how hard-core these mostly middle-age running groupies are. Their marathon training called for a 20 miler that morning and, apparently, I was part of their plan. Though I wasn’t anywhere near that mileage in my own training, I decided to run with them. About all I remember of that run was the last few miles, in sync with a guy I’ll call Lance who challenged me with: "Hey, let’s see what that altitude training has done for you!" I sucked up my humiliation as best I could, and I stayed with him. We finished together, my panting echoing off the bluffs across the river.

Just a few miles down the road from the start of Little Blue Trace lies the 1,071-acre Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area. A network of four gravel, wood chip, and dirt trails zigzag through the woods, creating a peaceful puzzle for a runner’s feet to solve. I’ve purposely gotten lost on these lovely trails. Bethany Falls is my favorite, with its limestone bluffs, burr oak trees, and wildlife. It links to Habitat Trail, making a 7–8 mile run. It’s the best getaway from the otherwise car-congested suburbs. On my many runs there, I’ve seen wild turkey, deer, bald eagles, turtles, fox, and snakes. Runners can even make a pit-stop at the nature center to see catfish, salamanders, and other curious creatures.

Nearby is the 970-acre Lake Jacomo, part of the 7,800-acre Jackson County Fleming Park. Runners enjoy free rein of a trail that loops around the lake. You can make it a 12–14 mile run by taking a turn around Blue Springs Lake. Lake Jacomo has a potentially surreal surprise in store for unsuspecting runners: buffalo!

If you’re visiting the Lee’s Summit area, southwest of Blue Springs, give Longview Lake and its 4,852 acres a try. You’ll run into other serious runners and get a taste of what Missouri looked like before urbanization. The lake’s eight-mile trail takes runners past a marina, fishing ponds, a swimming beach, and a horse park.

Missouri runners have yet another surprise for you: the Blue Springs Ultras. That’s right—extremists live in the middle of the country, not just the coasts. In late October or early November, Missourians head to Little Blue Trace for the Blue Springs 50K, 50M and marathon, all USATF certified. Fall in Missouri is a season of ideal weather. The temperature drops from the summer’s humidity and 90-plus degree average. Trees line the path and the sun, still bright, illuminates the contrasting colors.

Extreme running serves as a relatively healthy tactic for surviving the arduous winters. So does running as fast as you can from one brewery to the next. The Brew to Brew 43.9M relay and solo run on March 21 is your chance to test this theory. Runners take off from the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, MO, and end at the Free State Brewery in Lawrence, KS.

The course can’t honestly be defined as a trail run, but it is partly on dirt roads and requires the brawniness that only a trail runner can boast.

The Fat Ass 50K takes place on New Year’s Day at Wallace State Park near Cameron, MO. As an alternative to sleeping off hangovers, ultra-marathoners from around the area flock to the Fat Ass to get dirty. And cold. The course runs around a lake and through woods on un-groomed terrain. The Fat Ass is an event runners come away from feeling, well, anything but fat.

So come to Missouri, all ye runners, far and wide. Missouri calls you to assuage your need for throwing down on good dirt, for claiming the impunity you deserve. Missouri calls you to its trails for honest, unabashed running. Find trails on the KC Track Club’s website: www.kctrack.org, or the Blue Springs Runners website: www.bsrun.com.